Well it was only a matter of time until the folks at WDW beat me to the punch. I have to admit they got me with this one, well played Sirs. Well played…

So it’s official for the 2nd year in a row an exclusive SotMK Spell Card will be offered at MVMCP. This card is an absolute win for me personally being a huge Ducktales fan. I have to say I am very pleased with the cards that were created for this years events. Well done Disney!

In just a couple of days marks the 1 year anniversary of SotMKblog.com! I can’t be happier with how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time. To celebrate we’ll be doing a series of giveaways throughout the week. Unopened packs, pins, booster packs and a few other surprises not just limited to SotMK merchandise! I know what some of you are thinking, I don’t use Twitter! All of your giveaways are on Twitter! Well don’t fret, I’ll be expanding the giveaway to the Facebook fan page as well! However my advice to you is to follow us both on Twitter & like us on Facebook to double your chances! Today at 5PM EST I will post info about the first giveaway to both Twitter & the Facebook page.

Shortly after SotMK made its debut there was about a one month period in which WDW Research Cast Members were conducting surveys about the attraction. According to the anonymous message I received which contained this image, that person informed me that this card was given to them as a Thank You for their hard work in gathering the mass amounts of guest feedback. Just like the original over sized Cast Member Card this is not effective in the game itself and is simply a memento for cast members only. I don’t think anyone will be adding this one to their collection anytime soon!

With the SotMK community continuing to grow both online and in the park, there are many people who missed out on the limited edition spell cards released at MNSSHP & MVMCP. Which leads me to ask, what are these cards worth? Better yet, what is a fair trade? My initial opinion was that the special event cards would hold a high value and be a nice collectible in the future. However I just don’t think that’s going to be the case. The general consensus seems to be that people are just looking to get back the value of their party ticket. It appears even that has become fairly difficult.

When it comes to the sale of the special event cards on the resale market you’ll see all kinds of numbers. Early on the average asking price was roughly the cost of admission to whichever party was attended. To my surprise that number has dropped dramatically. After doing a few sold item searches on eBay you’re looking at a fairly broad price range of $20-$50 for either the MNSSHP or MVMCP card. There are two reasons as to why I think they haven’t held any value. The first being is that the market is saturated with them. People spend a lot of money on vacation and are likely looking to get some back and selling their extras is the first move. Not to mention the words Limited Edition typically mean $$$ to most people and see that as an attempt to profit.

Second being that In 2012 there were only 23 dates in which you could obtain Chip N’ Dale’s Bag of Tricks and 20 dates for Wayne & Lanny’s Ornament Barrage. Although the total quantity of each card given out is unknown I was told by several sources that there was an allotment of 2500 per party. Now in reality that doesn’t seem like much given the amount of attendees each night. However I hadn’t heard of them running out once. Which brings me to this point, we truly have no idea how many of these cards were distributed. Had they completely ran out of cards on every party night there would have been 57,500 MNSSHP & 50,000 MVMCP cards distributed. Considering that was probably not the case, let’s just say there are 20,000 of each card in circulation. That definitely doesn’t bode well for anyone looking to profit let alone break even.

So considering the fact you’re not going to retire off the sale of these cards even though there are plenty of people who want them. What’s a fair trade? You have to figure everyone has different opinions and it will vary from time to time based on an individual need and a persons proximity or ability to visit WDW on a regular basis. With that in mind I strongly believe those circumstances should be taken into consideration. For example, Mr. A has a MNSSHP card and won’t be taking another trip to WDW for 3 years. Mr. B is an AP who visits multiple times of year but missed out on MNSSHP. However he has the ability to obtain lightning bolt cards regularly. Is it too much for Mr. A to say they want 4 lightning bolt cards for their special event card? Personally I don’t think it is, 4 Booster Packs at $13.95 with a 10% AP Discount is just over $50. Not too far off the price of that Mr. A paid for his party ticket. Now I do realize that is a bit higher than you can likely snag one for on eBay. However the point I am trying to make is that it’s not that unrealistic given that it always comes around to people just trying to break even. Whichever route you decide to take in getting one of the exclusive event spell cards just remember it isn’t as difficult as you might think.

As it is not usually in Disney’s character to leave money on the table. My initial thought was that Disney missed the boat by not integrating a 2nd spell card series when booster packs were launched this past August. However the more I thought about it they obviously made the right decision. After the grand opening in February SotMK had already garnered a decent following, albeit mostly Disneyana collectors looking for the next big thing to horde or profit. The focus had quickly shifted from the game itself to the spell cards.

After the temporary retirement of cards 61-70 from the free daily spell packs and no news of if and when they were to return. It was only a matter of time until eBay was the only place to get them. With a steady average of selling at $100+ per lightning bolt I could only assume that Disney had to realize they were onto something and knew they could profit. So there was the announcement, cards 61-70 would be available for purchase via a 7 card booster pack in which only one lightning bolt would be included. The other 6 would include a variation of cards available in the free packs given out at the Firehouse or Liberty Square. In addition to the cards, a home game was also introduced.

Although most fans were initially very excited many were left disappointed at the lack luster and extremely confusing home game portion. Although the game boards & card checklist were a nice touch. The home game itself is terrible. But we’ll save that for another day. As I said earlier I did feel that the booster pack launch would have been a tremendous avenue for them to introduce a new series of cards. I realized it’s just too soon for that, the game isn’t even a year old. It hasn’t reached a large enough audience. Think about it, the booster packs aren’t for the “Veteran Sorcerer” or AP that goes multiple times a week. Don’t get me wrong most of us needed them to complete our sets and yes the main draw is the lightning bolt card. However the booster pack is really targeting the family who is just returning a year after its launch, heard about it online, or only visits WDW once maybe twice a year. They need to time to catch up. Disney knows that those guests can’t rely on the free packs to compete one set. As I am sure most kids want their own set of cards they need those booster packs. I’m sure the numbers don’t lie, the SotMK Booster Packs have got to be some of the most sought after theme park merchandise.

Do I think we’ll see a 2nd spell card series? Absolutely. Give it time.

With the Emporium’s stock of SotMK Booster Packs being readily available, Sorcerers are scooping them up left and right. Even better news is that the packs have also been seen in Sir Mickeys. I have yet to see them anywhere besides the Emporium and Sir Mickeys however I have heard from a source that hotel gift shops should have them available soon. As wonderful as that is it appears there is some bad news that has come with this recent overload of stock. There are several reports of Sorcerers purchasing Booster Packs only to find that the pack does not include a coveted 61-70 spell card.

As you can see in the photo above the packaging it clearly states that one super rare card is included. On the top it also reads “All Sales Final. No Refunds. Exchanges or returns.” You’re probably asking, what if this happens to me? What if my pack was tampered with by Hades? Here’s my suggestion, ask for a manager at the location you’ve purchased them at and explain the situation. If that doesn’t get you anywhere calmly head to Guest Relations and go from there. As for those who are purchasing them on the secondary market like eBay… Buyer beware!